Mystery and Discovery
by Thomas Holmes II
Summary: While exploring an abandoned city, my friends and I made an interesting and amazing discovery that would spark a adventure full of mystery, conflict and heartship. R&R Rated T to be safe.
1. Prologue

Sonic and 9

**A/N: Hey, everyone; TC here! Cool nickname, isn't it? Well, I think it is. Anyway, here is my Sonic-and-9 crossover, as promised. This story goes especially to my fellow 9 fans, Frieda Right and Celestial Rainstorm, who are both great writers themselves. God Bless you, my ladies.**

**Anyway, enjoy the story…**

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Prologue:

As you know, I and my friends live in the year 3396 NAE (The New Age of Earth); on the Georgian calendar, it is the year 14,006 AD, though we generally use NAE time now and it's easier to say as well.

Ever since the mysterious disaster that shook planet Earth terribly thousands of years ago, two species have dominated our planet: Humans (Homo sapiens) and Mobians (Mobo sapiens). When the two races began to rebuild society from the ruin since the year 10,600 AD, the planet Earth, later renamed Mobius, soon became divided between the two species. Humans (generally Overlander Humans) were xenophobic and distrusted Mobians, believing them weak and stupid; though they never sought war, they didn't want to mix with the Mobians and so formed their societies.

For the last three millennia, the Mobian Kingdom of Hedgehog-Acorn and the Human Empire of Power and Purity shared a very tense relationship. Though they never fought directly until the outbreak of the Human-Mobian War in 3366 NAE, various allies areas of their empires often fought over a lot of things; most particularly, France (dominated by Mobians) and Germany (ruled by Humans). The two countries were really rivals than enemies for years but they were constantly trying to prove themselves better and defending their empires. Though Mobians are generally peaceful beings, the French were competitive and so joined Germany in what was known as the 'Race between the States'. Britain, an ally to France and early member of the Kingdom, opposed this rivalry, but the French told them politely but firmly they could handle it themselves.

In 1939 NAE, the Chancellor of the German-Austrian Empire State at the time, Wilhelm Heifer decided to use machines as a way to provide power to the German State, and so took possession of a Fabrication Machine, also called a 'Brain' (**B**inary **R**eactive **A**rtificially **I**ntelligent **N**eurocircuit) created by a scientist, who had built it primarily for creation and progress; his name has been lost to history. Chancellor Heifer said the Fabrication machine marked the beginning of the 'Age of the Machine'. He had the machine create new machines in its own image, promising they would provide a new era of wealth and prosperity for the State. Not long after that, those machines were put to shocking use when Germany, enthralled by their new technology, declared war on France. What followed was a horrific conflict; the two rivals fought in a terrible war, Germany doing more damage because of their machines. The French were devastated by them. However, after just a year, the machines suddenly went out of control and turned on both France and Germany, destroying every living thing in their path; the Fabrication Machine as their leader. Refusing to accept responsiblity for his own part in the whole thing, Chancellor Heifer blamed the Scientist who had built the BRAIN, declaring him an enemy of the State. Shortly after the revolution of the machines, the Scientist disappeared and was never seen or heard from again.

With the machines as a common enemy, France and Germany put aside their differences and joined forces, with the Chancellor calling people to join him against the 'iron fist of the machine'. The war between man and machine ravaged the mainland of Europe and millions died; whole cities reduced to ruin and beautiful countryside turned to ash. The machines used toxic and deadly gases that killed every living thing. The Mobians and Humans didn't stand much chance. Slowly, both sides fell and the world of Europe became a silent ruin; devastated and practically lifeless.

For years, most of France and Germany remained lifeless. Britain and the other countries unaffected by the war searched the ruins for life, with very little success. Few had survived the war. It would have taken decades for Europe to go to the way it was before. However, to the utter astonishment of everyone, life remained to Europe within a few years and began rebuilding the land devastated by the war. However, to this day, despite constant research, no one knows how or why life returned so soon. Some Humans and Mobians back then claimed to have seen little ragdolls no bigger than a human hand that could think and move for themselves, but since no such creatures have ever been found, this theory was never proven.

Ever since the 'War of the Machine', both Humans and Mobians have been wary about using technology, especially for war. The Mobians, being devoted eco-warriors with an aversion to violence, became more determined to preserve the environment after the war. The Humans, though being less eco-friendly, could never forget a war like that; though they remained xenophobic towards Mobians, they still wished to avoid war whenever they could. However, even the memory of the 'War of the Machine' did not prevent the outbreak of the Human-Mobian War more than a thousand years later.

To this day, no one knows what had caused the quick return of life to Europe, despite constant research into the matter. Many theories have sprung up, but nothing has been confirmed. The whole thing has long since been classified as a mystery and few people spare it much thought nowadays. However, when I read about it during my history lessons at the orphanage and apart from being shocked and horrified by the devastation the war did to Europe, (I am a pacifist, after all, and generally oppose war, like all Mobians in general) I was also very intrigued by the mysterious return of life. Like my distant relative Sherlock Holmes, I have an interest in mystery and wish to know the answer. However, I doubted that I or anyone else would ever find the answer; it had, after all, been over a thousand years ago. When I came to live in Knothole, I asked Sonic and Sally if they had anything on it, but they had nothing on the mystery either. I soon came to believe that I might never know the answer.

So when I accompanied Sonic and my friends to Germany to investigate Nazi sightings and came to search a city that had long since been abandoned, I had no idea that the answer to the mysterious return of life would be found there nor did I have any comprehension of the creatures responsible for it nor of the incredible adventure I would experience with them…


	2. Discovery

Discovery

**A/N: I don't own Sonic or 9; they belong to SEGA and Shane Acker respectively. Katja belongs to Nameria. For more information about myself and my friends, please consult my other story 'Sonic the Hedgehog: Beginnings'.**

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The Ghost City, Luxembourg

The city's name had been lost to history. It sat near the border between Germany and Luxembourg and it had been abandoned for hundreds of years; why, no one really knew anymore, but it has been said that something happened to cause the people to suddenly without warning. It was a ghost town and it was said to be haunted. Anyone who had gone onto the city had come out scared and haunted; some had never come out again. The entire town was a crumbling ruin. People had thought of rebuilding it, but mysterious occurrences had caused them to abandon their work. These days, they called the 'Ghost City'.

We had come to Germany because there were reports of Nazi activity in various locations; no surprises there, of course, seeing as Germany was where the Nazis originated. Inspired by Robotnik, Germans were now rising up and seeking to follow Robotnik's examples. They were bombing buildings, setting fire to stations and hospitals and attacking Mobians. We, the Freedom Fighters, had been called to put an end to these terrorist attacks. Reports said that the German Nazis were hiding out in the Ghost City in Luxembourg, seeing as people avoided going there.

Sonic, Sally, Katja and I were in the Ghost City. I was very concerned about going to the 'Ghost City' myself; Sonic had told me there was nothing to worry about, but I wasn't so sure. We had split up, hoping to cover more ground but I was reluctant to go off on my own; a Jedi and Freedom Fighter I might be, but I was still only twelve. I was afraid I was going to set upon at any moment. I did have the Force on my side, but when you're on your own in an abandoned city that was said to be haunted and was called the 'Ghost City', you are bound to be afraid. So, I was with Katja.

"Are you okay, Tommy?" she asked.

"Not exactly," I replied. "This town gives me the creeps."

Katja nodded. "_Estoy de acuerdo_," she said, speaking in Spanish, as she often did, having come from Puerto Rico. "I don't like it either."

"Do you think it is haunted, like they say it is?"

Katja shrugged. "I don't know," she said. "I'm not the one, who believes in ghosts generally, but something scared those people. I do sense an odd presence here; not like anything I've felt before."

I could feel it too. The source I felt seemed human and yet, at the same time, not human. It was very odd.

"I wonder what happened here," I asked.

"No one knows," Katja said. "This city has been abandoned for years and years."

I wondered about using my psychometric powers to find out what happened, but it often depended on how old the place or object was; the older it was, the harder it was to look back.

We were supposed to be looking for Nazis, but I kept feeling that odd presence that was distracting me from our assignment.

"Is something up, Tom?" Katja asked.

"That presence just keeps pulling at me," I said. "I think I should investigate."

I began following the pull I was feeling along the street, my body moving almost automatically. Katja, perplexed, followed me.

"Are you sure you know where you're going?" she asked.

"Not really," I admitted, "but I wish to see what this presence I feel is."

After walking through a few streets, I reached a large building where the presence was strongest. I felt uneasy; could this be a trap? Could Robotnik have planted something for us to follow into his clutches? However, my curiosity was dominating my sense of fear.

"Thomas?" Sally's voice came out of my wrist comm. I pushed a button to reply.

"Sally, I feel a strange presence; a life force and this has led to a particular building. I'm not sure what it is exactly, but I think I should investigate."

"It could be a trap, TC," Sonic said, also linking his com-link to mine.

"I know, but I wish to see what it is," I said. "It's worth taking a look."

"Okay," Sally said. "We'll be there as soon as we can. Check it out, but don't go in too far until we get there."

"Okay, Sal." I shut off the link.

"Katja, stay out here and wait for Sonic and Sally, okay?"

"Si, senor," Katja said, "but are you… sure?"

"Hopefully," I replied. "If anything happens, you know what to do." Drawing my lightsabre and igniting it, both for a light and in case anyone tried to attack me; I made my way towards the door, which was hanging off its hinges. I gently pushed it open… and it fell off completely, landing on the floor with a thud. I made my way inside.

I was inside what looked like some kind of entrance hall. Bits of the roof had fallen in; some rafters lay on the floor. The floor was cracked and thick with dust and grime and looked fragile. Cobwebs were everywhere and spiders hung from them. The place was very dark and cold. My lightsabre filled the room with blue light. Then, I flinched as the light fell upon two skeletons on the floor behind what remained of the desk, utterly fleshless.

This place looked like no one had been in here for years, which they hadn't. The life forces I could see were spiders and bugs. This didn't seem right. However, I had faith in my connection to the Force and I would search for the disturbance I'd felt.

"Thomas, you found anything, lil bro?" Sonic asked.

"Just a couple of skeletons," I replied, "And a few spiders as well. Still, this is definitely the place where the disturbance is coming through. But it's not quite… human."

"Well then, what could it be?" Sally asked.

"I don't know," I said, making my way slowly forward. "But it's here somewhere and I'm going to find it."

I began to look around the place, gently taking one step after another, because the floor seemed fragile. I looked behind the desk, being careful not to touch the skeletons; growing wings with my shape-shifting power, I flew up to the next floor, but only found a couple more skeletons; I peered into the next room, but could sense nothing. What could this presence be?

Then, as I was scanning the floor, I saw something rather odd; a small, round object that appeared to be made of copper. There were three strange symbols etched onto its surface. I picked it up. It looked like some kind of talisman. There was definitely something particular about it; my senses revealed a strong amount of energy from within it, but there was also something eerie about it. What were these strange symbols and what was this thing used for? How did it get in this ruin? Could this thing hold answers to the mystery of the Ghost City?

I wondered if I should tell Sonic about this talisman, but curiosity was coursing through me. Calling on the Force, I focused on the talisman in my hand, using my unique power of psychometry to see its past and I saw…

_A young scientist was slowly putting the talisman together… the talisman was hooked up to some sort of machine with some wires and the scientist was placing wires to his head and the machine whirred into life… what looked like some kind of ragdoll that could move all by itself was inserting the talisman into a slot and it glowed bright green… two hands that appeared to be made of copper and wood were pressing the symbols in a sequence and it flew open… a different man from the one before was examining the talisman when it burst open in a flash of green light…_

I blinked confusedly; psychometry often left that effect on me. But whatever this talisman was, it might have something to do with why the Ghost City was said to be haunted. And what had been that little ragdoll I'd seen? I'd never seen a ragdoll like that before.

"Found anything, Thomas?" Sally said over the com-link.

"Yes," I said, "Some weird talisman, by the looks of it. I think it may have something to do with the ghost stories surrounding this city. Its past certainly indicates that. Let's see if I can find out anything more…"

"Thomas, wait, no!" Sally cried. "Don't…!"

But it was too late; I had already pressed the symbols in the sequence I remembered. It glowed, suddenly, bright green and there was a flash of green light. Momentarily blinded, I staggered and strode on a fragile piece of floor, which collapsed beneath me. I fell through the floor and landed painfully on the floor below, wood and plaster raining on my head. I seemed to have fallen into the basement.

"Thomas!" Sonic said desperately over the com-link. "Are you there? You okay?"

"I'm all right, bro," I said, coughing. "I just fell through the floor into the basement."

Shaking plaster off my clothes and out of my hair, I stood up, looking around. It was very dark, so I raised my lightsabre again for some light. I was in what looked a laboratory or workshop. Papers covered the floor and pieces of equipment lay everywhere. I gasped as the light fell upon another skeleton, its head, neck and right hand in the workbench and the rest on the floor. Gingerly stepping over the skeleton, I bent down and picked some of the yellowing papers. They were extremely old and very difficult to properly discern. I squinted at them from behind my glasses. They appeared to be drawings of hands, feet and bodies that appeared to be made of burlap, wood, metal and fabric. There was some writing as well, but it was too faded to read. There also appeared some drawings of peculiar symbols similar to those on the talisman, which I suddenly realised was still on the floor; I noticed for the first time that it had burst open and was still glowing green.

What was all this? What were these little ragdoll-like things? And what was this talisman meant for?

Just then, I nearly jumped out of my fur as, from out of the darkness came a voice; an elderly, gruff voice.

"What is this? Where are we? What happened? *cough* And all this dust…"

"Ow, 1, that's my foot!" said a second voice, much younger and sounding rather meek.

"Well, I can't see any better than you can!"

"Easy now, 1, 5," said another elderly voice, this one much kinder and gentler. "Let's not argue now; let's find out where we are."

"2's right," said a female voice. "How long have we been asleep and how did we wake up?"

"I… I don't like this," said a rather shaky voice. "What's that blue light?"

"I don't know, 6," said a second young voice; it sounded brave and confident. "I'll go up and see what it is."

"9," said the female voice, "you don't know what it is; it could be dangerous."

"I should see what it is, 7."

I was extremely puzzled; those voices sounded human, but there were several voices and I could see no humans about. And what was with these numbers?

"Hello?" I said. "Who's there?"

I heard startled cries.

"What was that?"

"Is it Human?"

"Who's there?"

"Identify yourself!"

I wasn't sure whether to answer or not. Just then, I heard a scrambling noise and then I saw a ball of yellow light coming from the other side of the room. Moving towards the light, the blue light from my lightsabre fell upon a desk and there, standing on top of it, was the most extraordinary creature I'd ever seen.

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**What had I just found? Find out next time.**

**With all due respect**

**Thomas Holmes II**


	3. Meeting the Stitchpunks

The Stitchpunks

**A/N: FYI, I'm following Freida's example; here, 4 is a girl. Any flames about it are prohibited. I love 4 as a girl and it adds emotion, so put up with it, okay?**

**Also, there is a reference to 'Stitchpunks: Batteries Not Included' in this story, by Celestial Rainstorm, who is a great writer!**

**EDIT: I have made a lot of adjustments to this chapter, with the help of Freida Night, who I, by all the Heavens, thank for her help.**

**Anyway, enjoy!**

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9 was surprised to see a Mobian standing before him; he had never seen one before; he'd read about them, sure and knew they were anthropomorphic creatures, but he had never actually seen one, not even in a picture. The other stitchpunks had believed Mobians had apparently died out during the war, but not 9; he was sure they had survived. And now, here was the proof.

"So you do exist," 9 said quietly. The Mobian's eyes widened behind thick glasses and he squinted at 9.

"You can talk?" he said.

"Yes, I can talk," 9 said tentatively.

He was afraid, because he didn't know what this particular Mobian was like. He'd read that Mobians tended to be peaceful creatures, but in the eerie blue glow of the light-stick – for that was what it appeared to be – the Mobian was holding, he looked rather scary and intimidating.

And 9 was confused because, firstly, he didn't know how he and his friends had got into this place or where they were. How had it been since they had fallen asleep?

And secondly, how had they ended up asleep in the first place? He remembered a flash of green light, a stab of pain and then, blackness.

"Hello, little ragdoll," the Mobian said in a gentle voice. "What are you doing here?"

9 wanted to respond to this, but that blue light made the cat look rather eerie. Then, the cat extinguished the blade and attached the hilt onto his belt, so that the only light was 9's light stick.

"Oh, don't be afraid," the cat said, holding his hand towards 9 and resting it on the desk. "I won't hurt you."

9 hesitated for a few moments. This Mobian seemed kind and gentle enough and perhaps he could provide 9 with some answers about where he was and when it was, but how did he know he could trust this feline? How did he know he wouldn't kill him? He remembered his two encounters with the Cat Beast; had it not been for 2 on the first encounter and 7 on the second, it would have almost certainly killed him.

The cat seemed to realize his hesitation. "Please, don't be afraid," he said, edging his hand closer. "I won't hurt you; I promise."

9 looked into the Mobian's deep blue eyes and something in them told him that he would do nothing harmful. Cautiously, 9 stepped onto the cat's hand and he was lifted up.

"Hello there, little doll," the cat said, his eyes shining behind his glasses. "You're just so cute, you know that?"

Though 9 was covered in fabric, not skin, he thought he felt his cheeks burn slightly. Then he realised he was being called a 'ragdoll' – that was not the correct term for what he was.

"I'm… not a ragdoll," he said, tentatively. "I'm a stitchpunk."

"What?" the feline asked. "What did you say you were?"

"I'm not… just a doll," 9 said hesitantly. "I might be made with cloth, metal and wood, but… I'm a living being… I have a soul."

Normal POV:

I stared down at the 'stitchpunk' in my hand in amazement. He claimed that he had a soul. How could it be possible for 9 to be alive? I had heard of robots with minds of their own, but they still gave no life-force at all. There was no living tissue in this stitchpunk; just metal, cloth and wood. How could that make him a living being?

And yet, as I stared at him, I did sense a great life source from this little doll. I could feel the life source flowing through the doll in my hand. I even thought I could hear what sounded like… a heart beating. It was just incredible.

"Who are you?" the stitchpunk asked.

"Oh, my apologies for lack of politeness," I said. "I am Thomas Holmes. Do you have a name?"

"Yes, I do," the stitchpunk replied. "I'm 9."

"9?" I said curiously. "You do know that's a number, right?"

"Yes," 9 said, "but it's who I am." And he pointed to the number on his back, which was written in black ink.

"Right," I said, looking 9 up and down, taking in his texture and design completely for the first time.

"I still can't believe that you are alive," I said, feeling quite perplexed. "I mean, I've never seen a creature like you before. Living beings are generally characterized by living tissue; flesh and bone. I never thought a being made entirely of metal, cloth and wood could be alive." I leaned down for a closer look at 9. Whether he was really alive or not, his design was worth noting. 9 looked nervous.

"It's okay," I said. "I'll be gentle with you."

I gently stroked 9's skin with a finger, feeling the somewhat rough and yet warm material. "What is this cloth, exactly?" I asked.

"It's burlap, I think," 9 said.

"Right." I continued feeling 9's body, gently prodding his skin to feel something that felt like a skeleton beneath. "Metal, I take it?"

"Yes, that's right," 9 said, apparently oblivious to the fact I didn't think him a living being.

I squinted at his hands and feet; they appeared to be made of wood, though his fingers were made of copper, welded into arches. There were only 3 fingers and a thumb on each hand.

I glanced next at 9's chest: it was fastened by a bronze zip. I wondered what it concealed. I was tempted to pull it down, but something in my head told me not to; it would be impolite. But hang on; how could it be? This was just a doll, right? It couldn't be appropriate.

I grabbed the zip and pulled it down.

"Hey!" 9 said, swatting at my hand with his light staff, clearly offended.

I stared down at 9. "Sorry," I said. "I thought you wouldn't mind me unzipping you."

"Well, I do mind!" 9 said firmly. "Don't you have any respect for privacy?"

"But you're just a doll made from metal, cloth and wood, as you said before," I said. "What could you have that could be inappropriate?"

9 looked suddenly embarrassed. "Well, yeah, it is true that I am cloth and metal, and I suppose you can look if you want to - just ask next time, okay? - but..."

"But what?" I asked.

"Well, there's something I have here that... I've never shown the others."

"Others?" I asked, surprised. "There are others like you?"

Just then, a female voice spoke; it was the same female voice I'd heard earlier. "9, what's going on? And who is this... cat you're with?"

I looked back towards the desk. Standing on it was apparently another stitchpunk, but this one looked very different from 9. As it was the owner of the female voice, it was definitely a she. She was wearing a helmet made from the skull of a bird, with earrings hanging down the sides and two feathers on the back; her hands and feet were made similarly to 9's and her skin was made from a finely lined fabric that might have been vinyl, and fastened with a green button at the front. She was carrying a spear in her left hand and had a shield on her right arm. She appeared to be thinner and more athletic than 9 was.

Despite her androgynous body and lack of much female characteristics, she was also very beautiful. In fact, in the near-darkness of the room, her white fabric seemed to emit a soft glow. I noticed 9 was looking at her rather dreamily.

"Who are you?" the female asked suspiciously. "Why are you holding 9? And what's this whole 'I have something that I've never shown the others, 9."

"W-w-well," 9 said hesitantly, looking rather uncomfortable, "it's... it's nothing... nothing awful or threatening, 7; it's just..."

"7?" I asked, cutting 9 off. "Is that your name?"

"Yes, it is," 7 said, her tone still suspicious. "And you are?"

"Thomas," I said, extending my hand out to her. Very. Big. Mistake.

7 looked startled at this and next moment, she'd slapped her skull helmet down over her face, leapt onto my arm, scurried up it and then, she was brandishing her spear at me.

"Try and manhandle me again," she said threatingly, "and you'll be sorry!"

I was quite alarmed at this; this female stitchpunk was barely bigger than my hand and yet, she was threatening me. It was then that I looked into her optics and there, I saw a fire burning within.

This was clearly not a woman to be messed with.

"9, 7, what's going on?" I looked back at the desk. A third stitchpunk had appeared. Again, this one was very different. Unlike 9 and 7, both of whom looked young and energetic, this one looked very old and decrepit. He was even leaning on a small cane and had what looked like a lens from a pair of old glasses in front of his optics.

The newcomer stared up at me, utterly shocked at the sight of me. His mouth was moving, but he couldn't seem to form intelligible words.

As for me, I was thinking: _Dear heavens, there are MORE of them?! I've already seen two personalities! How would this one show out to be?_

Finally, the old man managed to speak. "What is this giant blue thing? Why is it holding 9? And why are you holding your spear to its throat, 7? What is going on here?"

7 lowered her spear, slightly abashed. Relief and gratitude swept through me; I'd been afraid she was going to slit my throat!

"I thought he was trying to manhandle me, 2," she said sheepishly. "And you know how I feel about personal space."

"I do know, my dear," the old man – or '2' – said, "but I don't want my dear girl making a mess simply out of impulses."

I stood there, listening the two stitchpunks speaking. 2 seemed to be like a father to 7; seeing that he looked much older than 7, that didn't seem all surprising.

"Alright, that's enough of that! Someone needs to take order!"

A fourth stitchpunk had appeared on the desk; like 2, this one looked old, but unlike 2, who looked kind and welcoming, this one looked the opposite.

This one was white like 7; he had buckles on his body, metal hands and feet and his pupils were slits, rather sinister-looking, unlike the others', which were rounded. He also seemed to be wearing a cape; a black flag hanging half way down his back, but I couldn't tell for sure because of the dark.

"Alright, what is going on around here?" he said. "What's all this about?" Then he looked up at me and his pupils suddenly dilated in shock; a large blue cat towering over him was bound to be quite alarming.

At once, the old one began spluttering in shock, staring around wildly and then, he dashed out of sight again. 2 seemed quite amused by this and actually chuckled a little.

"What was that about?" I wondered.

2 chuckled again. "Don't worry about it," he said. "1's never seen your kind; none of us have, until now. I'll go talk to him and calm him down." And he hobbled out of sight after the old one.

I just stood there, with 7 still on my shoulder and 9 still in my hand; all three of us were silent, not sure what to make of the situation. We thought we could hear whispered voices, but they were too quiet to properly discern.

Then, 2 hobbled back into view, leading the old one with him, who was still looking nervous. His name was apparently '1'; rather made 'the old one' seem quite fitting, really, not to mention a bit funny.

Behind them came yet _another_ stitchpunk! This one was huge, much bigger than the others.

The large stitchpunk was holding a large knife that was made from one half of a pair of scissors and shoulder pads made from chainsaw teeth. He had the number 8 written on his shoulder. He growled up at me, his knife held at the ready, but he didn't do anything. 1 still looked worried as well.

"It's okay, brother," 2 said calmly. "This one is harmless.

"Are you sure it's nothing like the Cat Beast?" 1 asked. "It's even bigger than the last one!"

"It's alright, 1," 9 said. "He's harmless."

"Even if he is rather inappropriate," 7 interjected.

2 turned towards the end of the desk. "It's okay, my children," he said gently. "You can come out now; it's safe."

"Are you sure?" said the meek voice I'd heard earlier; I could make the silhouette of about 4 more stitchpunks at the end of the desk.

"Would I lie to you, my son?" 2 said.

There was no answer, but apparently, there was no need. The owner of the voice had decided to listen to 2, for next moment, he emerged. He looked a lot like 9 - they were made of the same burlap - but he had two buttons on his chest instead of a zipper and he only had one eye. He seemed to be carrying a backpack. The one that emerged behind them looked somewhat crazy; his fabric was black and white strips, he had pencil nibs for fingers; and his eyes were mismatched. He was also splatted with black ink. The last two seemed to be twins; they were completely identical, except for the numbers on their chests; 3 and 4. They had hoods up over their heads and seemed to have been made from gloves.

"Is this all of you, then?" I said.

"Yes," 9 said. "This is all of us."

There were nine of these creatures! These Stitchpunks-they were simply incredible. But where had they come from? Why were they here?

"What year is it?" 9 asked abruptly.

"What?"

"I asked what year it is," 9 repeated. "We've been asleep for a long time and we don't know how much time has passed."

"It's the year 3406 MA," I said slowly.

The effect was immediate. All 9 stitchpunks suddenly looked shocked and flabbergasted.

"3406?!"

"We've been asleep for hundreds of years!"

"We were really asleep that long?!"

"How could this happen?!"

"Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa!" I cried. "What's all this about? What was the year you all fell asleep?"

"It was 1947 MA," 9 said. "That means it's been..." He paused, trying to figure out the sum in his head, but he seemed unable to, due to his shock. Just then, the twins came up to him. Both of them flickered their eyes at him, but neither said a word.

"1459 years?" 9 said, shocked. "How is that even possible?"

This whole thing just kept getting weirder and weirder. These stitchpunks had been asleep for over a thousand years in this dusty place? Unbelievable!

The stitchpunks all seemed really distressed; maybe I should calm them down.

For a few moments, I stood there, wondering what to do or say in order to calm the stitchpunks down. Then, I remembered the talisman, which I had placed in my pocket. Did this tiny, harmless-looking piece of metal have anything to do with all this? I pulled it out and showed it to them.

"Maybe this has something to do with it," I said. "What is this thing?"

At the sign of the talisman, the small group all gasped in shock. They seemed rather intimidated by it.

"Is everything okay?" I asked.

"Be very careful with that!" 9 said warningly. "It could be dangerous."

"What, this thing?" I asked incredulously. "What harm could this little thing do?" And without knowing what I was doing, I began punching the buttons on it.

"DON'T DO THAT!" 9 shouted, but it was too late. Next moment, there was another flash of green light and then, everything went black.

* * *

**Another cliff-hanger! Next chapter, things should get more conflicting and intense. See you then.**

**With all due respect**

**Thomas Holmes II**


End file.
